River descending from Temple

Posted on by Vitus Danaa Abobo

Recollection of May 2024

Crédit image: Generative AI, https://firefly.adobe.com/

River-descending-from-Temple-J.-Buholzer

José Maria Sarasola Celaya R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Manuel Osa, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Spain,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

José Maria Sarasola Celaya

on Wednesday, 1st May 2024 in Madrid (Spain)
at the age of 85 years, of which 60 years of missionary life
in Burkina Faso and Spain.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father José Maria Sarasola Celaya’s death

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Our Lady of Africa, Mother of Hope

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Our Lady of Africa basilica, Algeria

In the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we invoke Mary, Mother of Hope. As we go about our daily lives, with its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, happiness and unhappiness, kindness and violence, laughter and suffering, life can quickly lose its taste and meaning without hope. Then, we are lost and desperate. If we don’t want to lose hope, we need to remain rooted in the one who is the source of life, the source of hope.

“We were saved, but it was in hope”, writes Saint Paul to the Romans (8:24); he is saying this to us, too. “Redemption was offered to us in the sense that we received hope, a reliable hope, by which we can face our present” (cf. Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, 2007). Our present, however painful, includes distressing situations of loss of life, of suffering in wars, conflicts and tensions like those we are experiencing or seeing in Gaza, eastern Congo (DRC), Ukraine, Somalia, Burma (Myanmar), Sudan, the Sahel region, Yemen and the Red Sea region, to mention just a few current cases.

Faced with all these unpleasant situations (especially when we can do nothing about them alone), only hope can keep us going. Just like mothers, who often instil hope in their children, Mary, Our Lady of Africa and mother of us all, never ceases to intercede for us during these uncertain times.

Our world today is tormented by an absence of authentic leadership, which, instead of doing everything possible to stop wars, violence, tensions and conflicts of all kinds, stirs them up, notwithstanding the technological breakthroughs that ought to make us better, not worse, human beings. Our faith experience shows us that Mary “shines like a light that attracts all nations to God” (cf. the readings for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Africa, 30 April); these nations, walking in the light of the Lord under the protection of Mother Mary, are illuminated by Him.

Madame-Afrique’s experience in Algiers

The Basilica of Notre Dame d’Afrique is located on a promontory 124 m above sea level in the commune of Bologhine to the west of Algiers. It is a captivating sight! This imposing architectural edifice, built over 14 years, is nicknamed “Madame Afrique” or “Lalla Myriem” by the locals. It’s often easier and more understandable to the locals if you ask them how to get there when you say “Madame Afrique”. The main construction work on this historic basilica was carried out under the episcopate of Mgr Pavy between 1858 and 1866. Cardinal Lavigerie completed the job in 1872 and entrusted it to the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).

Back in the 1930s, pilgrims from almost all over Algeria and the surrounding area climbed the hill barefoot, reciting the rosary aloud to seek consolation, protection or healing or to make or fulfil a vow. Fishermen would have their nets blessed; people went there to offer gifts after a good harvest, to renew their baptismal promises, and to have young children blessed. Candles or bunches of flowers were often provided to young Catholic, sometimes Jewish, or even Muslim couples, invoking Lalla Myriem and relying on her intercession in all circumstances (cf. Homily by Father Patient Bahati, 30 April 2020, in Rome).

As in the past, hundreds of people visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame d’Afrique daily in Algeria. Among them are barren women, pregnant women, schoolchildren wanting to pass their BAC exams or other competitive examinations, people suffering in body or soul, or simply on courtesy/curiosity visits; these people come to light a candle and pray quietly, invoking Mary in silent recollection. Although the majority of these people are from Algeria, a good number come from elsewhere and entrust themselves to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Africa, a source of joy and mother of hope for all.

The many testimonies of answered prayers and graces obtained are expressed through the ex-votos covering the walls of this lively and prayerful basilica, a symbol of inter-religious dialogue which has now instituted an annual Marian Day. The stone plaques engraved on these walls, in every language and from every era, bear witness to the fact that God never forgets the pleas of sincere and just souls: he always grants his countless graces.

Beyond the graces obtained through physical visits to Our Lady, countless graces are also obtained by all those who invoke her intercession far beyond the land of Algeria, where the basilica is located. In other words, Mary intercedes for Africa and the whole world. She wants the well-being of all her children without exception. This is confirmed by her various apparitions in many places around the world: at Lourdes in France, at Guadalupe in Mexico, at Kibeho in Rwanda, at Fatima in Portugal, at Zeitoun in Egypt, at Akita in Japan, etc.).

François Varillion reminds us in his book Humility of God that “God is pure gratuitousness”: he communicates his grace to us freely without calculation, often through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who makes no differences or prejudices between her children.

Mary, star of hope, intercedes for us

Mary, mother of God, mother of the Church and mother of humanity, never ceases to intercede for a starry hope. The best illustration of Mother Mary as a star of hope can be found in Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi (Hope Saves Us). Mary is evoked in the following terms towards the end of this beautiful exhortation: “For over a thousand years, the Church has greeted Mary, Mother of God, as “Star of the Sea” in a hymn dating from the seventh to the ninth centuries: Ave Maris Stella. Our life is a journey. Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often obscure and stormy, like the one we see these days, a voyage on which we look to the stars to show us the way, like the Magi. The true stars in our lives are those who have followed the stars of righteousness, love and truth, justice and peace, and reconciliation, to mention only these Christian and human values. True stars are beacons of hope. Jesus Christ is the TRUE light that enlightens the world, even if the world sometimes prefers darkness to the light of Christ. Jesus is not only the true light but also the sun that rises over all the darkness of history. However, we also need the little lights of others to reach him. And who more than Mary could be the star of hope for us all – she who by her ‘yes’ opened the door of our world to God himself; she who became the living Ark of the Covenant, in which God became flesh, became one of us, and pitched his tent among us (cf. Jn 1:14)?” (Spe Salvi, 2007, no. 49).

In conclusion, our humanity on pilgrimage to this earth, our common home, should be inspired by the wisdom of the words of the fourth Eucharistic prayer for special circumstances, entitled “Jesus went about doing good”. This profound prayer calls upon God to ensure that the Church is “a living witness to truth and freedom, to justice and peace, so that all humanity may rise to a new hope”. May we allow ourselves to be challenged and inspired by the depth of this prayer through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Africa, mother of hope.

By: Vincent Kyererezi, M.Afr.

Contribution to Environmental and Ecological Education

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Ecological charcoal and hats from waste recovery

After a seven-month stay here in the province of Haut-Katanga, in the city of Lubumbashi, and more specifically in the commune of Katuba, where our parish of Sainte-Bernadette is located, I observed several things during my walks, visits to local Christian communities and sick people and their families. These observations are not too different from what we often see in big cities: floods during the rainy season, gutters dripping with dirty, foul-smelling sewage; in some places, these gutters are blocked with plastic bottles; and sometimes, the same water full of microbes is used to wash vehicles. Bags and household rubbish litter many of the streets; some people pile the rubbish up in front of their houses as protection to prevent water from entering their homes; others wait until the piles of rubbish reach a certain height before covering them with earth to prevent the water from penetrating the ground. The water in the Katuba River has turned a greenish colour; on either side of its banks, there are shower pipes and, without exaggerating, toilets. The same river water is used for watering the vegetables grown in the surrounding gardens. The first phase is “seeing”.

To better clarify and analyse our findings, the parish benefited from the services of a local NGO called AMA (Action Metanïa Africa). AMA specialises in waste management and recycling and produces ecological charcoal and hydrophobic paving stones from recycled plastics, hats, mineral bags, and much more – giving waste a second life. A technical team from this NGO, led by the founder, Virginie Adallah, and four people from the parish, including myself, visited the area to find out what was happening and assess how we could help the population.

During the tour of the district, we gathered information from residents. Many of them see their situation as inevitable and believe that they have been forgotten by the government, which they feel should be responsible for rubbish collection, so they dump it on the streets. We clarified to them that we’re not here to accuse anyone but rather to do something for ourselves. The photos, videos and interviews we took helped us prepare for our activity’s second phase, “judging”.

There was a conference on contribution to environmental and ecological education. This theme was chosen after a meeting with the founder of AMA, during which I informed her of the Encyclical by Pope Francis entitled Laudato Si’, which talks about safeguarding the environment. Invited to the conference were the pastoral agents of our parish, the mayor and the heads of the neighbourhoods and avenues, then the pastors and leaders of the new religious movements and revivalist churches and, finally, certain resource people from the neighbourhoods who look after their properties. The Laudato Si’ team from the archdiocese of Lubumbashi was also invited to the conference. Some officials, such as the mayor and the minister responsible for the environment, apologised but were represented by others.

After the opening prayer and welcome by the parish priest of Sainte-Bernadette, Father Gautier Sokpo, Virginie Adallah, founder of AMA, gave the first talk. The talk recounted the findings of our visit to the neighbourhood, which were then analysed and interpreted. It was an eye-opener for participants who believed it was solely the state’s responsibility to clean up our neighbourhoods and streets. It was an invitation to everyone to take charge of the destiny of our neighbourhoods by doing what they could to make them clean before calling on the state and the government to play their part. There were videos of waste sorting techniques, particularly the system of three or four bins of different colours, and how to recover old clothes and fabrics to make hats. She also mentioned the activities of their NGO.

Then, it was the turn of Sr Syvie, coordinator of the Laudato Si’ team in the Archdiocese of Lubumbashi. She presented Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and how it invites the world to thank God for his creatures, who are like brothers and sisters and need to be cared for. She highlighted the team’s work in parishes, seminaries, and mosques. The team was set up at the behest of Mgr Fulgence Muteba, Archbishop of Lubumbashi. He has been involved in this movement ever since and can’t finish his homilies without mentioning environmental protection.

We organised our activity in line with the impetus given by our pastor. The sister came with artists who sang “les déchets sorciers” or “kuloka” or “Buchafu bulozi”. She said that our parish was a flagship parish because of how it organised this activity and that her team would use it as a model for others. The participants were surprised to hear that waste can be recycled.

After these presentations, the participants were invited to work in groups to answer a questionnaire on how they care for their environment. The responses revealed a desire to care for their environment. They wanted to see our collective dream of a clean neighbourhood come true. So they asked that this conference be different from many others they had participated in but failed to bear fruit.

The next phase of our activities will focus on “taking action”. To this end, participants at the conference were invited to start doing what they could at their level before lobbying the mayor and the governor concerning our district. The programme of activities will include visits to schools to raise awareness among pupils about the importance of looking after the school environment to guide them along the path of environmental education. Besides the schools, the health centres in our health zone will also be visited to raise awareness, as will the churches in our neighbourhood.

By: Gautier Sokpo, M.Afr.

Unconditional respect for every person

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To talk about human rights in the light of the Gospel, we should first look at the person of Jesus and what the Gospels tell us about him. The first thing that strikes us in many episodes of Jesus’ life is how he welcomes and respects every human being, adult and child alike. He recognises, as we are taught to do, the dignity of every person, created in the image of God.

We know that he calls God “Abba” (father) and that for him, every human being is a son and daughter of God, loved by Him. As pointed out by his adversaries, he was no respecter of persons: “Master, we know that you are an honest man and that you are not afraid of anyone because human rank means nothing to you and that you teach the way of God in all honesty”. (Mark 12, 14).

More than that, he readily defends those oppressed, marginalised, sidelined, despised or ignored. Episodes like that of Zacchaeus even show us his predilection for this kind of person.

He also asks us to change our thinking and adopt the same attitude as he does: unconditional respect for every person. To this end, he goes so far as to give children as examples to adults, women as examples to men, sinners as examples to the righteous (or those who think they are), and non-Jews as examples to Jews. In so doing, he revolutionised religion and the prevailing culture where, as in our societies, hierarchies and organisational charts count. For him, each person has his/her value and dignity, and he shows this and declares it.

His commandment is clear: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. He explains: “In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me … For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me” (Mt 25:40, 35-36). Jesus identifies with each person.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, this second part of the Church’s catechism, as Pope John Paul II would call it – often little known and rarely taught in catechesis – underlines this in its own way: “the roots of human rights are to be found in the dignity that belongs to each human being” (no. 153). The Compendium continues: “These rights are universal, inviolable and inalienable. Universal, because they are present in all human beings, without exception of time, place or subject. Inviolable insofar as they are inherent in the human person and in human dignity. Inalienable, insofar as ‘no one can legitimately deprive another person whoever they may be of these rights since this would do violence to their nature”.

The previous number of the Compendium already stated: “The Church’s Magisterium has not failed to note the positive value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948, which John Paul II defined as a true ‘milestone placed on the path of humanity’s moral progress’” (no. 152).

My experience

The importance of this Universal Declaration is well-known almost everywhere in the world today. In my experience of working for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation in Rwanda, I have seen how, if we base ourselves on these rights, we can reach an agreement between people from all walks of life. For example, I took part in the establishment of an Association for the Defence of Human Rights and Public Freedoms (ADL). I got involved in concrete ways, with people from other Churches and other religions – or no religion at all – in joint actions that had a great impact on the country up until the genocide of 1994.

Subsequently, I also participated in the campaign for an international ban on anti-personnel landmines in Brussels, within the framework of Pax Christi, and in conjunction with other associations and numerous other networks worldwide. This campaign was successful: the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and their Destruction was signed in Oslo on 18 September 1997 by 122 governments in Ottawa in December and entered into force on 1 March 1999.

Our fight

For a Christian and a M.Afr., this fight against the proliferation of weapons is undoubtedly a form of solidarity – a form of fundamental commitment. We must continue this fight, as well as the battle to abolish the death penalty in all countries. According to statistics for 2021, 106 States have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 8 have abolished it for ordinary crimes, and 50 respect the moratorium on both de jure and de facto executions, making a total of 164 States. On the other hand, the death penalty is still applied in 54 States and territories, including some African countries. We still have more work to do in this area!

I will end by mentioning another subject close to my heart: the commitment to active and evangelical non-violence. This begins with non-violent communication, Marshall Rosenberg’s method, with which many of us are familiar, but it goes much further.

We know that non-violent campaigns and actions can only overcome some of the world’s most significant structural injustices. I like to give the examples of colonialism (Gandhi), racial segregation in the United States (Martin Luther King), communism (Lech Walesa and John Paul II), apartheid in South Africa (Nelson Mandela), not forgetting, of course, slavery: didn’t Cardinal Lavigerie become famous worldwide for his anti-slavery campaign? Only active non-violence, supported by large crowds, has eradicated these plagues on humanity.

In the end, wasn’t it the attitude of Jesus and the words of the Gospel – like those in the Sermon on the Mount – that inspired the personalities mentioned and spurred crowds into action?

By: Guy Theunis, M.Afr.

Constant Boom R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Yvo Wellens, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Belgium,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Constant Boom

on Friday, 26th April 2024 in Billère (France)
at the age of 81 years, of which 56 years of missionary life
in Great Britain, Tanzania, Belgium and France.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Constant Boom’s death

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Joseph Eberle R.I.P.

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SOCIETY OF THE MISSIONARIES OF AFRICA

Father Ludwig Peschen, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Germany,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Brother

Joseph Eberle

on Sunday, 21st April 2024 in Oberdischingen (Germany)
at the age of 91 years, of which 63 years of missionary life
in Malawi, Mozambique and Germany.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Brother Joseph Eberle’s death

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Roger Bélanger R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Réal Doucet, Provincial of the Americas,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Roger Bélanger

on Wednesday, 24th April 2024 in Montréal (Canada)
at the age of 87 years, of which 58 years of missionary life
in Malawi and Canada.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Roger Bélanger’s death

(more…)

Get your smile back with dignity

Posted on by Vitus Danaa Abobo
Nyota Centre

Like many other regions of Africa, countries in the Great Lakes region are exposed to many human rights violations due in part to decades of successive cycles of violence, most of them ethnically based. In the case of the DR Congo, human rights violations are mainly structural. There is a lack of health, food security, public order, access to justice, secondary and higher education, insufficient job creation for the poorest, etc. Then there is the endemic physical violence, whether in urban neighbourhoods, on the roads or as a result of armed conflicts that have displaced more than seven million people. The primary victims of this violence are women and children.

In Bukavu

I work in Bukavu, which has become sprawling with the influx of internally displaced people. They include a large number of women and children who are victims of gender-based violence or who roam the streets at the risk of prostitution.

The entire society is affected by this structural and regional trauma, which is compounded by the trivialisation of rape in most quarters and the use of gender-based violence as a ” war weapon” (for purposes such as territorial cleansing or subduing a population by terror).

The principal reasons for these abuses are political and economic, and they go hand in hand. A minority exploits the immense majority with no future and no social protection. Considering the wealth of the country’s underground and natural resources (forestry, water), international companies are complicit and guilty of plundering this country of immense wealth.

But we can contribute to the liberation of these people through various prophetic testimonies. First of all, there is the work of denunciation and advocacy. Several letters from the National Episcopal Conference (CENCO) have strongly denounced these injustices for decades without much effect on the impunity of those in power. Justice and Peace Commissions are in all the dioceses, parishes and sometimes grassroots communities, which courageously raise awareness and provide training. Some confreres collaborate with them wherever possible. Each sector has a Justice and Peace officer, M.Afr. However, he knows that taking legal action to protect victims would expose him to unforeseeable costs, given the corruption in the legal system and the risk of retaliation, especially if the victims are foreigners, which is more often the case.

Another prophetic way of combating human rights violations is to guarantee or restore the rights of the vulnerable on the periphery. Let me give you two examples of the commitments I have been making for over a decade with the financial support of friends. While the Society recognises the value of the work it encourages, it is not officially committed to it.

Two examples

These programmes target two particularly vulnerable categories of young people. Girls who are victims of poverty or living on the streets, or who have suffered sexual trauma, and boys used as slaves in highly precarious conditions in the gold mines, earning just enough to survive.

The first project, the Nyota Centre, located in the parish of Kadutu, depends on the diocese of Bukavu (which provides the premises). I have been involved since 2010, helping to fund the salaries, running costs and upkeep of the buildings. The centre receives between 250 and 260 extremely vulnerable girls daily. We ascertain that the family has no resources to care for them and that is if the family still exists. The aim is to enable these young people to rebuild their lives psychologically and morally by teaching them to read and write, providing them with access to diplomas, and teaching them a trade to make them self-sufficient. Those who are not with their families are welcomed in foster homes. A team of 16 people, including a nun, takes care of them in all respects, ranging from the provision of uniforms and school equipment to schooling and psychological support, as well as providing a daily protein porridge for around sixty of them, depending on their state of health. The training takes 3 to 5 years. It is entirely free of charge. The finalists are invited to appear before the primary school jury and the provincial sewing jury. Those who succeed can continue their studies, while a number receive a reintegration kit that enables them to start a small income-generating project. We have 100% success rates at the two juries. However, many of these girls have no identity papers, which makes them highly vulnerable when they begin an economic project upon leaving the course. We have, therefore, hired a lawyer who prepares the files with the director to obtain what is known as a “suppletive judgment”, which facilitates the procurement of a birth certificate for each child. This certificate enables the child to obtain an identity card. It was thanks to this that our elders were able to vote in the last elections. This is a good illustration of our work on human rights. These children did not “exist” before coming to us. 

The other project concerns youths exploited in the mines at Kamituga, in the diocese of Uvira. The parish’s carpentry school trains these young people in the carpentry trade, providing them with the basic skills they need to start their own small-scale carpentry workshops or get a job with a company. At the end of their training, they also receive a reintegration kit containing basic tools. We are also building a large workshop to equip them with a range of electric woodworking machines that will enable them to become more professional.

A network of friends funds these two projects. Some are friends of the Missionaries of Africa, and others are involved in my ” Seeds of Hope ” self-help network.

The Talitha Kum network

Finally, I am involved in the Talitha Kum network, which combats human trafficking throughout the world and particularly in Africa. This network, founded by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG, Rome) in 2009, fights against human trafficking, especially of women and children, often for the purposes of prostitution or organ harvesting. These trafficking networks take advantage of the desire of young Africans to go abroad at any price. Talitha Kum undertakes preventive action, support for those who have decided to migrate and repatriation of victims who wish to return home. The network is also involved in advocacy and reporting. One form of prevention against trafficking, in my opinion, is the work done by the two centres we run in the DRC. Indeed, a young person who has a trade and who has been given the equipment to take care of himself is much less likely to migrate in precarious conditions.

The greatest reward for this investment is the smile on the faces of the finalists who each year regain their dignity and look forward to a better future.

By: Bernard Ugeux, M.Afr.

Nyota Centre
Kamituga Carpentry School

Human Rights in the Light of the Gospel

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When I was asked by the editor of the Petit Echo to write an article about the above topic, my first reaction was to give a negative reply. I am no more in Ghana, and even when I was there, I never had to deal with “problems to do with human rights”. When, reading again the topic, I saw the words “in the light of the Gospel” and having been a lecturer in Scripture in various formation houses, I decided that I could have a try, though it will necessarily be more theoretical than practical.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights and it was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. It is a secular document, hence should be acceptable to everyone, though the Christian contribution to it is undeniable, as we shall see.  It sets out, for the first time, 30 fundamental human rights to be universally protected. It has been translated into over 500 languages and applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels. A simple definition is: “Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.” The five basic ones include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education and 25 more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

Its content has surely been described by other articles in this number, and for that reason I prefer to proceed with discussing the relationship between the two parts of the title.

Its origin and development

Above we stated that this declaration is basically secular and universal. However, it is undeniable that Christianity played a distinct role in its origin and development. The biblical origin is no doubt found in the Old Testament in Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So, God created man in his own image, male and female he created them”, in this way making him infinitely superior to all other created living beings, as confirmed by Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

This conviction was further worked out in the Mosaic Law (e.g. the Ten Commandments) and also the ancient Prophets continually insisted on the value and dignity of each human being. This conviction surely led to the abolition of infanticide in the Roman Empire, to William Wilberforce abolishing slavery in the British Empire, to Nelson Mandela bringing to an end apartheid in S. Africa and Mother Teresa taking care of the poorest of the poor in India. Well-known is the slogan of the French Revolution of 1789, affirming Equality, Fraternity and Liberty as pillars of human society. Indeed, these three words summarise in a succinct way the basic values of Human Rights,

In the Gospels, Jesus shows himself, in word and practice, the defender of the poor and the needy, and he freely socialised with people the Pharisees considered as sinners. His treatment of women, children, and society’s down-and-outs is narrated on almost every page of the Gospels, certainly remarkable in the society in which he lived, and going beyond the social conventions of his time. He involved women in his ministry and went beyond the ancient wisdom which held that children should be seen but not heard. Instead, he welcomed and embraced them and had scathing words for any who would harm a child. He frequently praised children and their faith, and invited grown-ups to imitate them. All this shows according to American theologian Wolterstorff how human rights ultimately trace their origin to Jesus. Samuel Moyn, a Harvest Law Professor, who has written books on the topic (“Christian Human Rights”, 2015 and “The Right to Have Rights”, 2017), wrote “No one interested in where human rights came from can afford to ignore Christianity.” Indeed, without any further explanations we can affirm that from the earliest days of the Church, through the Middle Ages and the Reformation and into the modern world, followers of Jesus have played a central role in framing human rights and making them global. Many Popes have written about the subject. and local Christian leaders have made and are still making great efforts to implement Human Rights in their localities.

Today’s world

Unfortunately, the reality of today’s world presents us with another picture. Numerous countries violate the basics of human rights through discrimination, repression and war. Take for example the genocide now taking place in the Darfur Region of Sudan, the atrocities in the Kivu area of DRC or in Myanmar, not to speak about numerous cases of persecution of Christians or the abominable living conditions of so-called work-migrants in Europe. Many people, ourselves included, often close their eyes to such unacceptable realities, while continuing to enjoy their comfortable houses of residence and the food that three times every day is served on their tables.

Our Founder, Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, in a conference on African slavery in 1888, emphatically cried out, “I am a man, injustice to other men revolts my heart”. Our 2022 Chapter enumerates in a vivid way the deplorable violations of basic rights in Africa today (Capitular Acts, 2.3). It renewed the Society’s commitment to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. But let us not too quickly accuse people around us, but also acknowledge that in our own Society deplorable things happen from time to time. Thank God, they are exceptional, but we need to acknowledge them and find ways and means to eradicate such evil from our own communities. That is why the Chapter invited “each Province and Section to reflect on the injustices within our Society and how we deal with our collaborators”.

By: André Schaminée, M.Afr.